Episodes: S17E9 "Steve Martin"; S24E9 "Alec Baldwin"; S32E9 "Justin Timberlake"
Original airdates: December 14, 1991; December 12, 1998; December 16, 2006
Santa? Yes
Other holidays mentioned: Hanukkah and Kwanza
Availability: Netflix and Hulu Plus
Unique Christmas story:
Narrator's Note: Because Blogger sucks (or more likely because I'm slightly inept with this interface) I can only embed one video in a post. However, I have hyperlinked to a ton of sketches I talk about in here.
The problem with SNL is that no matter who the host is or during which cast an episode airs, there is rarely an episode that is solid all the way through. Lorne Michels has said that the night they do every sketch perfectly is the night he retires. Even more rare is an SNL Christmas episode that has all of its sketches focus entirely on the Christmas season. SNL is meant to be topical, and that often means that Christmas sketches are mixed in with political ones during these Christmas episodes.
That is why instead of choosing just one SNL Christmas episode, I have choosen three from the past twenty or so years featuring three of the most popular hosts during that time. Each episode has its own highlights and lowlights that illustrate that talents and limitations of the cast and writers at the time.
Starting with the Steve Martin episode from 1991, this Christmas episode, has very few actual Christmas themed sketches. It does however have one of the most spectacular cold opens I think the show has ever done. SNL is notorious for having their hosts sing or walk around backstage during monologues, but in this instance the show starts backstage with a overwhelmed Chris Farley talking to a care free Steve Martin.
Martin's persona on the show has grown into it's own recurring character with Martin taking on the demeanor of a man who can barely be bothered to learn the names of the new members. But in the start of this episode, Martin makes a declaration not to phone it in, leading to a cold open, which features not only the most impressive cast SNL has ever had at one time, but also gives some lines to the people behind the scenes, something I have rarely ever seen SNL do.
The cold open turns into a commentary on the show itself. At the time SNL was a bit lost, but working its way into the famed early 90's that brought about a number of memorable sketches. Martin takes viewers through the backstage while collecting the rest of the cast who each have their own comments on what they contribute (or fail to contribute) to the show. The opening acts not only as a way for the show to kick itself into gear, but proclaims a message of working together to produce something great.
From their the show has some choice sketches, including Adam Sandlers and Farley's Schmitt's Gay beer commercial, and Kevin Nealon showing his strength as a Weekend Update anchor by throwing out some choice jokes about the end of the Soviet Union. The end of SNL has become home to the oddball sketch of the night, one which is either delightfully strange, or simply doesn't work. This episode is no different, with Kevin Nealon and Rob Schneider playing door men outside an apartment making some off the wall comments about the residents of their building.
Fast-forward nine years to Alec Baldwin and an SNL that was trying to balance the Monica Lewinsky scandal with the joys of Christmas. This episode got some attention last year because it famously predicted Jimmy Fallon would host the SNL Christmas episode in 2011 during Baldwin's monologue. The monologue plays on Dicken's Christmas Carol, with John Goodman popping up as the Ghost of SNL hosts present, and Fallon coming on later as the ghost of SNL host's future. Like Martin's cold open, this monologue emphasizes the importance of putting in an effort for the Christmas episode, because a great host brings great things out of the cast.
The rest of the episode features many SNL tropes, like a fake talk show segment and a fake commercial, but even if they feel familiar, its still fun to watch the chemistry between this cast which features Will Ferrel, Jimmy Fallon and Cheri Oteri. The big dud in this episode is Colin Quinn's Weekend Update. I had never seen much of Quinn's work on Update, but this was just truly awful. He grinds the show to halt with bad jokes, and over reliance on talking back to the audience reactions. While Martin may play like he has a big ego, Quinn's is no joke, and it almost wrecks the episode. Thankfully, Tim Meadows (who, fun fact, is the only cast member to appear in both this episode and Martin's) comes in with a soulful Kwanza song that helps repiar some of the damage.
This episode also features one of the most beautiful and unique performances I have ever seen from an SNL musical guest: opera great Luciano Pavorotti and Vanessa Williams along with the Philadelphia Boys Choir singing "Adeste Fideles." While you won't see this if you stream the episode on Netflix, the clip is available online, and can be viewed below:
their new boyfriend, Santa.
Timeberlake's monologue and musical performances are cut out on Netflix, but most of the sketches included make this the strongest episode overall of the three I've listed. The ringer of this episode though is the classic Digital Short, "D*ck in a Box." It stills packs a good number of laughs and it's fun to listen to the audience reaction hearing it the first time. Timberlake is a talented host and brings along hi staples, like the singing guy in a food costume, and teaming up with Jimmy Fallon for the Barry Gibb Talk show.
SNL is never going to be perfect but the Christmas episodes always manage to bring out at least one memorable sketch that's worth taking another look at during the holidays.
Unique Christmas Message:
Sometimes you need to take the good with the bad.
Tomorrow:
A bit of an unorthodox Christmas celebration.
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